Archive for October, 2014

Maryville/Alcoa Parks & Recreation and area sponsors are hosting a Spooktacular Extravaganza in downtown Maryville on Friday, Oct. 31, along with activities that take place during the Last Friday Art Walk that is sponsored by the Maryville Arts Coalition. Free activities will include treats along Broadway and area downtown streets from 5 – 8 pm at designated businesses that will be marked with a sign, a pumpkin carving contest on display from 5 – 7:30 pm across from the Palace Theater, a magic show at 5:45 pm at the amphitheater in the greenbelt, a free costume parade for families and their dogs in costume at 6:25 pm around the greenbelt trail at the amphitheater, and a Howl-O-Ween Dog Costume Contest at 6:55 PM at the amphitheater. More information can be found here.

To pre-register for the pumpkin contest or the dog costume contest, the fee is $5 until Thursday, October 30 in the Parks & Rec office and $7 the day of the event. The City of Maryville will host a Movie in the Park at the conclusion of this event on the outdoor movie screen in the amphitheater. The featured movie will be “Despicable Me 2.”

Anna and Elsa and the hilarious snowman Olaf from Disney’s Frozen now share their story of true love in Disney On Ice presents Princesses & Heroes Presented by Stonyfield YoKids Organic Yogurt. The celebration is coming to the Knoxville Civic Coliseum November 5-9, 2014, and tickets are on sale now! Here’s the official show description:

Believing is just the beginning in this mesmerizing show where dreamers from Knoxville will witness the magic of eight Disney Princesses; Ariel, Belle, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Tiana, Jasmine, Aurora, and Snow White make their wishes come true in this collection of celebrated tales wonderfully told through artistic skating and acrobatics. With the help of the magical pixie Tinker Bell, the Disney Princesses embark on the adventure of a lifetime. Elsa, Anna and Olaf travel through a fantastical winter wonderland to learn true love conquers all. Then entering a world of wonder where heroes and hearts prevail, Jasmine discovers a whole new world with Aladdin after meeting her unlikely hero in the marketplace. Prince Philip defeats the evil fire-
breathing dragon Maleficent in a race to save his true love Aurora. Prince Eric breaks Ursula’s spell so that Ariel can remain part of his world. Watch in awe as the dreams of Rapunzel, Tiana, Cinderella, Belle and Snow White also come true in this beautifully imagined ice show.

If you’d like to go ahead and order tickets without waiting on a giveaway, you can do that here or by calling the box office at 865-656-4444. Tickets prices start at just $20!

The lovely folks at Feld Entertainment are allowing me to give some passes away to you! These passes can be exchanged for tickets at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum box office, and are good for all reserved seating tickets except for front row and VIP tickets on any date other than Saturday 11/8. This is the second of three giveaways. The winner of each giveaway will receive four passes.

Required Entry:

Leave a comment on this post and let me know if you’ve ever been to Disney on Ice. That’s it! (If you’re reading this on Facebook/Twitter hop on over to thriftychristy.com)

Additional Optional Entries:

You can do each of the following things for an additional entry in the giveaway. You can only do each of these once, for a possible total of 6 entries. Please leave a separate comment for each method of entry. If you only leave one comment then you only have one entry, as each comment is numbered and I randomly choose a number. Make sense?

This giveaway ends at midnight EST on Tuesday, October 28. I will choose two winners on Wednesday, October 29 using random.org and will contact them via email. Giveaway open to US readers only. You must be 18 or older to enter.

Disclaimer: I received passes to Disney on Ice for my family plus additional passes from Feld Entertainment to give away to my readers. Passes will be sent to the winner via US Mail, and I cannot be held responsible for any loss or delivery delay on the part of the mail. Feld Entertainment and The Walt Disney company are neither sponsors nor endorsers of this promotion. All opinions are my own.

Do you have plans for Halloween night? The Orchestra at Maryville College, under the direction of Mathew Wilkinson, will present “Halloween Spooktacular,” a Halloween concert held in conjunction with the Maryville Last Friday ArtWalk on Fri., Oct. 31 at 7 p.m. in the Clayton Center for the Arts’ Ronald and Lynda Nutt Theatre.

Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the Clayton Center Box Office, but admission is FREE to those dressed in Halloween costumes!

“This concert will feature spooky classical favorites, such as Night on Bald Mountain, Danse Macabre and the Peer Gynt Suite,” Wilkinson said. “We are also playing selections from ‘Phantom of the Opera’ and music from ‘Harry Potter.’”

Here are the Trunk or Treat activities taking place in Blount County next week. Please let me know if you have one to add!

Forest Hill Baptist Church, located on the corner of Forest Hill and Montvale Roads, will be having their annual Fall Festival/Trunk or Treat. Everyone can get a free dinner of hotdogs, chips, drinks, and cookies. Kids can enjoy games, face painting, crafts, and other fun things. All children may take a trip down Trunk or Treat Lane. Everyone is invited. For more information, contact the church office at 982-8632. Saturday, October 25th from 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM.

First United Methodist at 804 Montvale Station Rd is hosting a Fall Festival with hotdogs, games, bounce houses, cupcake walk on Sunday, October 26th from 3-5pm

East Maryville Baptist Church at 1150 Brown School Rd is hosting a Fall Festival with food, games, bounce houses, silent auction, music, hay ride, popcorn and cotton candy, door prizes on Sunday, October 26th from 5:00-7:30.

RIO Revolution Church on 321 near Heritage High school is hosting this year’s Quack Pack Fall Festival! Bring all the kids out, because we are going to have a TON of fun!! Food, music, games, fun, and LOTS of candy!!! Be sure to mark your calendars…Wednesday, October 29th at 5:30pm at

RIO Central Church on 321 and Long Hollow Loop near Friendsville is hosting a Trunk or Treat on Wednesday, October 29th at 7:00pm.

Oak Street Baptist Church will have Trunk or Treat on October 31st from 6 pm to 730 pm.

First Apostolic Church – 1723 William Blount Dr, Maryville, will host Trunk Or Treat on October 31 from 6:00-8:30 in the FAC back parking lot. Free food, music, inflatables.

Faith Promise – Blount County Campus is having a party October 26th 5-7pm. Free food, carnival games, live music, movies, hayrides, giveaways, and a trunk or treat. Family friendly costumes are welcomed. 539 North Foothills Plaza Dr, Maryville, Tennessee 37801 across from Foothills Mall.

UPDATE: The winners are Austin B., Denise C., and Chrissy F. Thanks to all who entered!

Did you watch The Wonder Years when it was on TV? It debuted in 1988, when I was 8 years old, and I remember it as being one of the best shows I’d ever watched. For a very long time, it was unavailable on DVD for one huge reason: one of the best features of the show was its use of hundreds of popular songs from the 60s and prior (Joe Cocker’s iconic title song, “With A Little Help From My Friends,” plus songs by Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Simon & Garfunkel, Smokey Robinson, The Who, Aretha Franklin, Carole King and many others.) To be able to release it on DVD, the producers had to get the rights to all the songs, which is quite a feat. I know some other music-heavy TV shows like Northern Exposure skipped the process of licensing songs, opting to just take the music out, and many people complained they ruined that series when bringing it to DVD. Not so The Wonder Years! I recently had a chance to watch Season One on DVD, and it is SO great. It sounds cliche, but I was cackling out loud in Episode 2, and by Episode 3, I had tears in my eyes.

Here’s the official description of the DVD set:

The Wonder Years debuted in 1988 following ABC’s broadcast of Super Bowl XXII, and the affectionate look at growing up in the late ’60s and early ’70s in suburban America was unlike anything else on television. It was 1968 — the year of Nixon and space walks and Mod Squad and Vietnam. Enter Kevin Arnold, a sixth grader at Kennedy Junior High School. Set against the suburban backdrop of Anytown, USA, Kevin sought to minimize his teenage angst while dealing with an older brother, Wayne (Jason Hervey), a rebellious sister, Karen (Olivia d’Abo), distant, workaholic father, Jack (Dan Lauria) and doting housewife mother, Norma (Alley Mills). Add to the mix Paul Pfeiffer (Josh Saviano), his nerdy, allergy-riddled best friend, a potential love interest in winsome girl-next-door Winnie Cooper (Danica McKellar) and narration by an older, wiser, wittier Kevin (voiced by Daniel Stern) to add perspective to the nostalgia, and you have the perfect recipe for TV greatness. And, for the next six seasons, America tuned in to follow Kevin’s exploits, as he navigated adolescence in the most memorable of ways.

From 1988 to 1993, The Wonder Years was one of the most popular shows on TV, achieving a spot in the Nielsen Top 30 for four of its six seasons. And the critical accolades and awards would follow: after only a scant six episodes, the show captured an Emmy® for “Best Comedy Series;” and, at the age of 13, Fred Savage, would become the youngest actor ever nominated as “Outstanding Lead Actor for a Comedy Series.” The series would also go on to win 24 awards (and be nominated for 70 more), including multiple Emmy® Awards, a Golden Globe® and, in 1989, a Peabody® Award for pushing the boundaries of the sitcom format and using new modes of storytelling. Additionally, in 1997, “My Father’s Office” was ranked #29 on TV Guide‘s “100 Greatest Episodes of All Time” and in the 2009 list, the pilot episode was ranked #43. Suffice it to say, The Wonder Years was one of the most critically lauded sitcoms of the late 80s and early 90s.

Olive Garden has extended their “Unlimited Soup, Salad and Breadsticks Lunch for ONLY $5” offer through 10/24…and the coupon is now valid per person! Here’s the info:

Cheap lunch alert if you like Olive Garden! Now through October 24th, hop on over here to print a coupon valid for a $5 Unlimited Soup, Salad and Breadsticks Lunch at your local Olive Garden – dine-in only. Keep in mind that this coupon is only valid until 4PM each day and there is a limit of one Lunch Combo per coupon and a limit of one coupon per person, per visit.

Every October 31 my daughters and I go to IHOP for their free scary face pancakes. It has become a tradition! We get there right at 7 a.m., so we can be sure to make it to school on time, and have never had a problem with crowds. Here’s the info, from IHOP’s Facebook page:

Trick or treat, give kids something free to eat this Halloween! On Friday, October 31st, from 7:00AM-10:00PM, all kids 12 and under receive a free Scary Face Pancake! Learn more here: http://bit.ly/1r0vHnG
Restrictions apply. One per child. Dine in only. Participation may vary. Contact your local IHOP for more information: http://bit.ly/160pKOe

And while you’re there, snap a photo using Instagram of your child’s Scary Face Pancake creation, tag it #ScaryFacePancakes #Entry and we may feature your photo in our gallery! You’ll also be entered to win a $50 IHOP gift card! The winner will be selected November 1, 2014. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Open to legal U.S. residents 13 years +. By entering, you agree to these official rules: http://bit.ly/1thafvg

Also, if you’re a Zaxby’s Kids Club member, check your mailbox for a coupon for a free Halloween kids’ meal! If you’re not a member, it’s free to sign up, and you can do so here or at your local store. Kids 10 and under get a free meal on their birthdays, as well as lots of freebies and treats throughout the year!

Anna and Elsa and the hilarious snowman Olaf from Disney’s Frozen now share their story of true love in Disney On Ice presents Princesses & Heroes Presented by Stonyfield YoKids Organic Yogurt. The celebration is coming to the Knoxville Civic Coliseum November 5-9, 2014, and tickets are on sale now! Here’s the official show description:

Believing is just the beginning in this mesmerizing show where dreamers from Knoxville will witness the magic of eight Disney Princesses; Ariel, Belle, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Tiana, Jasmine, Aurora, and Snow White make their wishes come true in this collection of celebrated tales wonderfully told through artistic skating and acrobatics. With the help of the magical pixie Tinker Bell, the Disney Princesses embark on the adventure of a lifetime. Elsa, Anna and Olaf travel through a fantastical winter wonderland to learn true love conquers all. Then entering a world of wonder where heroes and hearts prevail, Jasmine discovers a whole new world with Aladdin after meeting her unlikely hero in the marketplace. Prince Philip defeats the evil fire-
breathing dragon Maleficent in a race to save his true love Aurora. Prince Eric breaks Ursula’s spell so that Ariel can remain part of his world. Watch in awe as the dreams of Rapunzel, Tiana, Cinderella, Belle and Snow White also come true in this beautifully imagined ice show.

If you’d like to go ahead and order tickets without waiting on a giveaway, you can do that here or by calling the box office at 865-656-4444. Tickets prices start at just $20!

The lovely folks at Feld Entertainment are allowing me to give some passes away to you! These passes can be exchanged for tickets at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum box office, and are good for all reserved seating tickets except for front row and VIP tickets on any date other than Saturday 11/8. This is the second of three giveaways. The winner of each giveaway will receive four passes.

Required Entry:

Leave a comment on this post and let me know if you’ve ever been to Disney on Ice. That’s it! (If you’re reading this on Facebook/Twitter hop on over to thriftychristy.com)

Additional Optional Entries:

You can do each of the following things for an additional entry in the giveaway. You can only do each of these once, for a possible total of 6 entries. Please leave a separate comment for each method of entry. If you only leave one comment then you only have one entry, as each comment is numbered and I randomly choose a number. Make sense?

This giveaway ends at midnight EST on Tuesday, October 21. I will choose two winners on Wednesday, October 22 using random.org and will contact them via email. Giveaway open to US readers only. You must be 18 or older to enter.

Disclaimer: I received passes to Disney on Ice for my family plus additional passes from Feld Entertainment to give away to my readers. Passes will be sent to the winner via US Mail, and I cannot be held responsible for any loss or delivery delay on the part of the mail. Feld Entertainment and The Walt Disney company are neither sponsors nor endorsers of this promotion. All opinions are my own.